gerstner



921. I 1,422,959. Patented July 18, 1922 Q A 2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 13.1921.

Patented July 18, 19 22.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

UNITED STATES HARRY H. GERSTNER, OF DAYTON,

PATENT OFFICE.

OHIO.

TALKING-MACHINE DISK-RECORD CABINET.

Application filed July 13,

T 0 all to 7mm it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY H. Gnrsrnnn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dayton, in the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Talking-liVlachine Disk-Record Cabinets, of which the following is a specification.

One of the-principal objects of my invention is to provide cabinet for talkingmachine disk records, in which the latter are compactly and firmly held, and from which they may be conveniently withdrawn.

It is another important object of my invention to provide in the cabinet, a series of keys, each one of which, when lightly touched, is adapted to engage a record with sufficient force to roll it over a partition from a holding groove or space into one from which it may be readily withdrawn from the cabinet by the hand. The records do not rest upon the keys, but are tapped by them, when the latter are depressed, toroll them from the holding grooves or spaces into those grooves from which they are in a position to be conveniently grasped and taken out.

Each key bears a number corresponding to the number of the partitioned space through which the record is inserted in the cabinet, and to the number of the record as it appears in a title book or card index pro vided for that purpose. When the key corresponding to'the number of the record de sired, is depressed, it will roll the record outwardly to a position to be readily grasped by the hand for the purpose of removal, but in no event can the key be depressed with suflicient violence to force the record out of the cabinet ontothe floor or table, with injurious results.

It is another object of my invention to provide a compact and attractive cabinet that may be economically constructed and readily assembled.

Other important and incidental objects will be brought out in. the following specification and particularly set forth in the sub joined claims;

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the preferred form of embodiment of my invention, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the record cabinet. Figure 2 is a top Specification of Letters Patent.

' plurality of vertical partitions 9.

Patented July 18, 1922.

1921. Serial No. 484,451.

plan view of the keyboard therein. Figure 3 is a transverse section taken through the cabinet, showing in dotted lines the withdrawal position of a record. Figure 4: is a partial front view of the cabinet, with the door open. Figure 5 is a perspective view of the removable partition rack. Figure 6 is a transverse section taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 5, through the vertical partitions. Figure 7' is afront view of one of the feltcovered vertical partitions, showing how one of the horizontal partitions is connected thereto. Figure 8 is a side View of the rear end of one of the key levers in its normal horizontal position, beneath a record. And Figure 9 is a rear end view of one of said key levers.

Throughout the specification and drawings, similar reference characters denote corresponding parts.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, the numeral 1 designates my cabinet which, while it may be of any suitable structure, is preferably of open box construction. (See Figure The cabinet has a base frame 2 that rests upon a marginal base block 3.

Supported by the front portions of the base frame 2, and extending. from one side of the latter. tothe other side thereof, is a member to which is glued or otherwise secured, the front end of a transverse grooved piece 5. (See Figures 8 and 4..) The frontportion of this piece is cut away to provide an upwardly projecting tongue over which grooved partition base-mem her 7 is fitted as shown in Figure 3. This base member not only has a longitudinal groove 8 inits bottom to receive the tongue 6, but is provided with a series of vertical grooves in its rear portion that receive a (See Fig ure 5.) Each partition 9 comprises a steel slat which is bent upon itself and is covered with a strip of felt 10. The free ends of each steel "slat 9 are bowed at their middle portions to receive between them the front end of a felt-covered steel slat 1.1 similar to the slats 9. (See Figure 7.) While I have provided partition members consisting of these steel slats as described, they may be of any other suitable construction.

The upper ends of the vertical slats 9 ar received by a grooved top member 12, while the rear ends of the horizontal. slats 11 are received by a grooved horizontal piece 13, the entire unit forming a record receiving partition rack that may be readily inserted in, and removed from, the cabinet 1.

The transverse board 5 has a plurality of grooves 14 running from a line just behind the tongue 6 to a line extending transversely across the board a. short distance from its rear edge. Immediately behind the I grooves 14 is a transverse partition element 15, preferably constructed of wire, that extends from .one side of the cabinet to the other. (See Figures 2and 3.) Immediately behind the partition element 15 is a series of short grooves 16, in line with the grooves 14 and extending from said partition memgroove 14 which received it. The groove 16 being of less length than the groove 14, the record, which will be designated by the numeral 17, is prevented from rolling out of the groove 16 by a transverse strip 18 behind .it. This stri 18 is mounted upon bracket pieces19,19, only one of which is shown in Figure 3, and which are so located as to support the strip 18 in a horizontal plane that is approximately that in which the axis-of the record 17 lies when the latter is supported within the groove 16 into which it is rolled. The front edge .of the strip 18 is preferably felt lined.

Within the cabinet 1 the upper portion of the record is received between two of the horizontal slats 11, 11. In order to firmly hold these slats in the cabinet, the horizontal piece 13 that is secured to their rear ends, isxtightly received by a transverse grooved member 20 glued or otherwise secured to the rear wall of the cabinet. The grooved top member 12 bears against, and isbraced by, a flange 21" on the top frame 22 of the cabinet, The tongue 6, grooved member 20 and flange 21 cooperate to firmly hold the partition rack within the cabinet, assisted by two upright pieces 21, 21* between the ends of the members 7 and 12 and the side walls of the cabinet. (See Figures 3 and 5.)

For the purpose of rolling a record from a groove 16, over the partition 15 into a groove-14, to permit its ready withdrawal from the latter, the following means are provided. Pivotally secured in grooves in the member 4, by a transverse wire 23 or other suitable, element, is a plurality of key levers 24, each of which terminates be yond the partition slats 9, in an. upturned portion that carries a key 25. There is a key 25 for each space between the partition members 9, the lever carrying the key be ing positioned directly below a set of grooves in. the board 5, and terminating in a turned-up rear end portion 26 a substan tial distance behind said board. Each key bears a number corresponding to the num ber of the receiving space in the partition rack behind it, for a record listed opposite that number on a card 2? that is received by a frame 28 secured to a door 29 of the cabinet.v (See Figure 1.)

The rear ends of the key levers 24 nor mally rest upon a transverse member30. The upturned end 26 of each key lever 24 terminates in a forked portion 31 that tightly receives a crescent shaped piece 32 that is adapted to be elevated to engage the edge of a record when the key carried by said lever is depressed. (See Figures 3, 8 and 9.) A light depression of the key will cause the piecev32 to tap the record with suflicient force to roll it over thepartition 15, from the groove 16 which it occupies, t0 the groove 14 ahead of the latter. (See Figure 3.) When the record rests in the groove 14, it will project a suflicient distance beyond the partitions 9 as shown in Figure 1, to be readily grasped by the hand for withdrawal from the cabinet. The force with which the record is rolled over the partition 15, will in no event be sufiicient to cause it to roll out upon the floor or table with injurious results.

During the insertion of the record into the cabinet, and its withdrawal therefrom, the felt-lined partition members will thoroughly clean it preparatory to its being played again.

In order to accurately guide the crescent shaped pieces 32 into contact with the records when the keys 25 'are depressed, the upturned ends 26 of the key levers which carry said pieces passthrough a grooved guide 33 transversely mounted in the cabinet 1. r

It will now be seen that when the record is within a groove 16, its rear portion will rest against the transverse strip 18 and not upon the rear end of a key lever 24. The function of each key lever is merely to roll the record over the partition 15 from the groove 16 which it occupies, intothe groove 14 in front of it for easy withdrawal from the cabinet. It is only necessary to press the key lightly to effect this result, slnce the record? does not rest upon the key lever and is so positioned within thegroove 16 that when lightly tapped by the piece. 32

withdrawal position in a cabinet that is compact, attractive and durable.

I do not wish to be limited to the details of construction and arrangement herein shown and described, and any changes or modifications may be made therein within the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. In a cabinet of the type described, the combination with a base member containing a series of longitudinal grooves, of a series of key levers pivotally secured within said grooves, with their ends projecting beyond them, a record-receiving transverse grooved piece secured to the top of said base member, a transverse tongue portion on the front end of said grooved piece, a supporting member fitted on the tongue portion of the grooved piece, said supporting member containing a series of vertical grooves, and vertically disposed partitions fitted in the latter grooves to receive between them a series of records for support by said transverse grooved piece in a position to be engaged by the rear ends of the levers when their front ends are depressed.

2. In a cabinet of the type described, the combination with a base member containing a series of longitudinal grooves, of a series of key levers pivotally secured within said grooves, with their ends projecting beyond them, a record-receiving transverse grooved piece glued at its front end to said base member, an upwardly projecting transversetongue integrally formed on the front end of said grooved piece, a transverse supporting member having a longitudinal groove, fitted on the said tongue, said supporting member containing a series of grooves in its upper rear side portion, and vertically disposed partitions supported by the latter grooves, to receive between them, a series of records that are adapted to enter the transverse grooved piece for engagement by the rear ends of the key levers when their front ends are depressed.

3. In a cabinet of the type described, the combination with a series of vertically disposed partitions secured within the front portion of said cabinet to receive talkingmachine disk records, of a plurality of horizontal slats secured at their front ends to said vertically-disposed partitions, a grooved member adapted to receive the rear ends of said slats, and a transverse piece secured to the rear wall of said cabinet, containing a longitudinal groove to receive the grooved member which receives the horizontal slats.

4. In a cabinet of the type described, the combination with a partition rack to receive talking-machine disk records, of a plurality of vertical slats in the front portion of said rack, each vertical slat comprising a feltcovered metal piece turned upon itself and bowed at its middle portion, and a plurality of horizontal slats, each horizontal slat comprising a felt-covered metal piece turned upon itself and projecting at one end into the bowed portion of one of the vertical slats, for firm support thereby.

5. In a talking machine cabinet, the combination with a partitioned disk-record receiving unit, of a grooved block on the front lower end of said unit and a transverse block on the rear upper end of said unit, a tongued base member in said cabinet, upon which said grooved block is adapted to be readily fitted, and a grooved member on. the rear wall, of said cabinet adapted to receive the transverse block on the rear upper end of said unit, to cooperate with the tongned base member in removably holding said unit within the cabinet.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 6th day of July, 1921 HARRY H. GERSTNER.

Witness:

HOWARD S. SMITH. 

